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Sunday, 29 June 2014

Are my kids the only ones in the world who tire of freshly baked muffins, slices, cakes and cupcakes? Maybe there's a little too much desperation in my eyes and my voice is just that bit too high and insecure when I offer them?Recent exchange between Sylvia and I on the way to the park to meet some friends:Sylvia: Mum, did you bring some food for us to eat at the park?Me: Yep, I brought the muffins I made!Sylvia: Oh. Did you bring any fruit or anything else?Hmmmmm...Seriously, my kids seem so picky these days with what they eat. This seems to be confined to the food I make. From a packet? No problem! I could go on strike to make them appreciate my food more and ease off a little on my baking binges, but that would be too much of a deprivation for me! Anyway, I've had some success with the following items. Granted, two of them contain chocolate chips...

These vegan goldfish crackers are really delicious, and a nice change from sweets! I use this recipe but use a bit less water than recommended, and I also add some onion powder.

These chocolate chip muesli barswere pretty popular. Sylvia added the sprinkles because apparently everything is better with sprinkles! I used this recipe but substituted Nuttelex and rice malt syrup for the butter and honey.

This is the only granola the kids will eat because they don't like bits of nuts and seeds. Lexie likes to eat the granola clumps on their own. We all love this one!

My mum used to make semolina for me when I was little, only instead of chocolate chips she put a mixture of cocoa and sugar on the top. To make this, I heat a cup of non-dairy milk, then add a heaped tablespoon of semolina and sugar and simmer until it thickens a bit but is still pourable (it sets as it cools).

Friday, 27 June 2014

This salad is the best thing I've eaten on bread since vegan scrambled eggs. There are loads of mock tuna salad recipes on the internet. I've made one with chickpeas, which is delicious, but then I came across this version made with soaked almonds and sunflower seeds. I adapted it to suit my supplies and time constraints and loved the texture and taste of this one!Of course, it's not in the least bit fishy (I guess it would be if you added kelp) but the combination of mayonnaise, celery and red onion does remind me a bit of the tuna salad I ate before I was vegan. The mayonnaise I used in this salad is this one from Vegan Dad. It's so easy to make - I never buy mayonnaise any more!

Vegan "Tuna" Salad (makes 2 large servings) (inspired by Save the Tuna Salad by Kris Carr)2/3 cup almonds, soaked overnight or for a few hours2/3 cup sunflower seeds, soaked overnight or for a few hours2 celery ribs, chopped A quarter of a red onion, chopped 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise 1 tsp dijon mustard1 tsp white wine vinegar1/2 tsp salt, or to tastepepper to tasteProcess all ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency is reached.I had mine on toast with avocado, extra mustard and pepper - yum!

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Unfortunately, dinners that please everyone in our household are becoming a rarity. I am happy with a basic salad or brown rice and veggies most of the time, but I have my two gorgeous little fussy kids to cater for, as well as Peter's mysterious and changeable "allergies" (read: preferences, ha!).But thankfully, this is one of those rare dinners! I have blogged about pizza a few times, fancy pizza and topped with vegan cheese, but this pizza is the reliably delicious and easy one I keep coming back to. This is a simple dinner as long as you remember to leave time for the dough to rise - only about an hour or even less. This recipe makes two pizzas, plus about four mini chocolate pizzas. Sylvia loves these! They are simply vegan chocolate chips on pizza dough baked in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Our Perfect Pizza (makes 2 pizzas plus 4 mini chocolate pizzas)Dough (slightly adapted from the Traditional Pizza Dough in Vegan Planet)3 tsp instant yeast1.5 cups warm waterfew pinches of sugar2.5 cups plain flour1 cup wholemeal flour1 cup spelt flour2 tsp salt2 tbsp olive oilToppingPasta sauce (about half a jar - I use tomato, basil and garlic sauce)Sliced mushrooms (about 3 cups)Olives (about half a cup)Diced capsicum (I used half a red one)Drizzle of olive oil and salt to tasteMake the dough: Stir the yeast and sugar into half a cup of warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until a bit frothy/bubbly. In the meantime, in a large bowl combine the flours and salt. Add the oil and the remaining cup of warm water to the yeast mixture and pour all of it into the flour mixture. Stir the liquid in and then knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and rub a bit of extra olive oil around it. Put it in a large bowl with a tea towel over it to rise (around 45 minutes to an hour). While your dough is rising, prepare the toppings and preheat oven to 210C.When your dough has risen, punch it down and remove a bit of dough for the mini chocolate pizzas if making. Divide the rest of the dough in two and roll out two pizza bases and place on pizza trays. Spread on the pasta sauce, then the mushrooms, capsicum and olives. The secret is to cover all the dough without overloading it! Drizzle with some olive oil and add a bit of salt to taste.Cook in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how well done and crunchy you like your crust.